EICHLER_0152
{2/7/06}
Other eichlers in the neighborhood.
This is a Real Estate cover story on the legacy of Eichler houses, those flat-top, glass-backed mid-century modern designs that took the area by storm in the 50s and 60s and are still wildly popular today.
Francois Cornillon and his wife, Laure, have painstakingly restored their Sunnyvale Eichler to look as if it was built yesterday rather than half a century ago. They will meet us and give us a tour. They have agreed to be photographed.
Also, they live in a neighborhood where all the houses are Eichlers. Event on {2/7/06} in {WALNUT CREEK}, CA. Photo: Mark Costantini /San Francisco Chronicle.

Joseph Eichler was a developer with a plan: He wanted to make high-style, modern home design affordable for the masses. The idea reportedly came to him while he was living in a Frank Lloyd Wright house in Hillsborough.

"Developing homes was a second career for him," said architect Paul Adamson, who, with Marty Arbunich of the Eichler Network, wrote a book about Eichler homes. "He wanted to bring some of the same features of that house, such as indoor-outdoor living, to the middle class."

In 1950, after experimenting with some prefab projects, Eichler hired the Bay Area architecture firm of Anshen and Allen (later he also worked with architects A. Quincy Jones and Frederick E. Emmons) to create an affordable modern home.

At the time, it was unprecedented. No other developer wanted to spend the money to have tract homes designed by architects. "The firm came up with houses that had an open plan, post and beam construction, whole walls of glass, and radiant heating," said Adamson. "Those were the kinds of things you might find in an expensive, custom-built home at the time, but certainly not in a house for the masses."

Adding features such as sliding glass doors and skylights to the suburban homes springing up all over the country contradicted the ideas most developers had about how to make a profit.

Through careful refinement, Eichler was able to hone his manufacturing process to produce the homes in a cost-efficient way. "It was like an assembly-line process," said Adamson. "He had the home parts constructed at a central location and then shipped to the building site. He also made use of standard building materials in a creative way."

Eichler launched an aggressive and sophisticated marketing campaign to introduce his houses to the American public. To many people, accustomed to more traditional houses, the flat-roofed homes must have looked unusual.

Advertisements featuring the photography of Ernest Braun helped demonstrate how the houses worked by showing models posing as homeowners in the house. "No one had ever done that before," said Adamson, whose book, "Eichler: Modernism Rebuilds the American Dream," features many Braun photographs. "Most architectural photography was stark and cold. These ads made the homes look warm, livable and desirable."

Although the homes were never popular on a wide scale, they were a smash with a certain audience. "An interesting subset of people -- engineers, architects, and modern art and design lovers -- were intrigued by the homes," said Adamson. "They found their streamlined look and the way they expand into the garden appealing."

Like most home styles, Eichlers have fallen in and out of favor. Today, with the current obsession with modern design, they appear to be more popular than ever. It's the original ideas that have stood the test of time: open-plan living with living room, dining room and kitchen connected; the blurring of the lines between indoors and outdoors with atriums, window walls, skylights and sliding glass doors; and leaving the construction visible -- i.e. the ceiling beams and boards. The classic Eichler materials have even come back into vogue: Radiant heating, cork floors, wood paneling and vinyl tile have all experienced a recent surge in popularity.

Of course, Kathleen Haley, whose first-person essay "Unhappy With Eichler" (Home&Garden, July 29) touched off a flurry of protest letters and blogs, is not alone in her complaints. Conventional (and some would say misguided) wisdom claims that flat roofs leak, dark walls (many Eichlers have mahogany paneling) make rooms dark, and the houses are too small. Among the answers Eichler devotees have is a simple one: maintenance. "These houses were constructed with inexpensive materials over 30 years ago," said Adamson. "Almost any material will wear out over time."

"Flat roofs need to be maintained if you don't want them to leak," said Loni Nagwani, an Eichler owner and real estate agent specialist. "If you don't take care of them and clean out the downspouts, they will leak sooner or later." Nagwani also advises her clients who want more light to add skylights.

Tom Borsellino, a San Jose Eichler owner, has a more basic solution: Keep the greenery trimmed. "A lot of people allow plants and trees to grow over the big windows," he said. "Of course, then it will be dark. The answer is to keep things pruned."

Adamson also points out that remodeling or updating an Eichler gives a homeowner a chance to add more energy-efficient glass and insulation.

What would Eichler think if he could see his homes today? Adamson believes that the developer believed that his work was important and would be happy to see people still devoted to his ideas, although he might not be so happy about some of the color and material choices. "There's a story I've heard that said Eichler was driving around one day when he spotted someone repainting one of his houses," said Adamson. "He supposedly got out of the car and told him to stop ruining the house."

-- The Eichler Network maintains a Web site that contains "architectural, historical, maintenance information and other resources for owners and admirers of ... Modernist-design homes." www.eichlernetwork.com.

-- Loni Nagwani: www.hitechrealtor.com not only lists Eichlers that Nagwani is selling, but it also has resources for home improvements and an entertaining segment HGTV did on the restoration of her Eichler.

-- Sunset magazine: Sunset features homes that embrace the Western landscape. www.sunset.com. (Disclosure: This writer worked at Sunset for several years.)

-- CA-Modern magazine: Produced by the Eichler network, it features Modern design with an emphasis on Eichlers. www.eichlernetwork.com.

Open Eichlers aid Hospice

The fabulous '50s meet eye-catching Eichlers during a September weekend in Marin County. On Sept. 15-17, Hospice of Marin Foundation presents Open Hearts, Open Homes, a benefit for Hospice of Marin.

For fans of developer Joseph Eichler, the high point undoubtedly will be the "Eye on Eichlers" tour. Nearly 40 Eichler homes in San Rafael's Lucas Valley and Terra Linda neighborhoods will be open for viewing.

Marin County has one of the largest numbers of homes built and designed in the Midcentury Modern style. Catherine Munson of Lucas Valley Properties, who was an associate of Joseph Eichler and serves as honorary chair of the events, said in a statement that many of the homes are preserved or have been carefully updated. In addition, docents schooled in the basic elements of Eichler design will be available at each home.

Sept. 16: Eye on Eichlers tour, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visitors ages 12 and older can tour five houses for $30, or all houses on the tour for $40. Register at www.hospiceofmarin.org. Tickets also available the day of the event at Terra Linda Community Center, 670 Del Ganado Road, San Rafael.

Sept. 17: 1950s family fun fair and classic car show, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Mall at Northgate, Northgate Drive and Las Gallinas Avenue in San Rafael. Admission is free; donations are appreciated.

Hospice of Marin provides end-of-life care for residents of Marin, San Francisco and Sonoma counties. For more information, visit www.hospiceofmarin.org.